VICO SOFTWARE ANNOUNCES LATEST VIRTUAL CONSTRUCTION SUITE RELEASE

 

November 5, 2007.  Boulder, CO - Vico Software, Inc. announced today the upcoming release of its Virtual Construction^TM Version 2008 software suite.  Vico indicated that testing of its five integrated software applications among builders and construction managers throughout North America and Europe is complete, and that Version 2008 will be made available to the public later this month.

 

Over two hundred of the world's premier building contractors and construction managers utilize Vico Software and Services for coordination, cost estimating, project scheduling and project control.  Customers report that the newest version of these interrelated applications are easier to learn and use and they expect more of their project teams to utilize the 5D model on new projects.

 

"We have been using Vico's software and services on our most demanding building projects for the past two years," says Dan Gonzalez, Corporate Manager of Virtual Design and Construction at Swinerton Incorporated.  "Version 2008 applications are more tightly integrated and easier to use allowing us to calculate estimates and schedules from these 5D models.  That combination will improve the value of our pre-construction services for our client and extend our use of Vico Software from planning through the construction phase of each project.  We are particularly impressed with the help a coordinated 5D model gives to our project team and our subcontractors resulting in a better construction process.

 

"The building construction industry is actively re-making itself for the benefit of building owners worldwide," says Clay Freeman, Chief Product Officer at Vico.  "Our approach to Virtual Construction has arrived at a time when technology is seen by the industry as a strategic advantage in winning projects and improving contractor profitability. The goal of our Version 2008 product suite is to better integrate the flow of project information from design, to estimating and scheduling, through to production control.  Version 2008 enhancements will also serve to shorten the learning curve for our users at each step in the process."

 

The Version 2008 release includes Vico Constructor, a virtual construction modeler and integrator of 2D plans, 3D models, and site location information; Vico Estimator, an efficient cost estimating application; Vico Change Manager, an advanced visualizer for side-by-side comparisons of design modifications in DWG or PDF formats; Vico Control, a line-of-balance scheduling and production control system; and Vico 5D Presenter, a freely distributable reviewing application for the entire project team, including 3D model data, animations, and cost and schedule data.

 

Erno Aalto, On-Site Engineer with The Palmberg Group of Helsinki, Finland, has deep experience using Vico's Virtual Construction solutions on his latest project.  "With Vico's technology, quantities stem directly from the coordinated 3D model.  This makes our cost estimates more accurate, and it allows us to derive project schedules based on these location-based quantities and crew productivity rates from our historical averages," states Aalto.  He adds, "We can now easily communicate how changes or problems in design will affect our cost and our schedules well ahead of actual construction."

 

Vico credits the success of its products and services to its innovative customers and their dedication to a better built environment.  For more information on the release, please visit http://www.vicosoftware.com/.

 

About Vico Software, Inc. Vico provides software and services to the building construction industry. Building owners, general contractors, and construction managers use Vico software to reduce risk, manage costs, and optimize schedules on large, complex building projects. Vico's integrated 5D Virtual Construction^TM solutions pioneered the 5D category and were first released in 2005. The benefits of our solutions and services have been proven on over one hundred and fifty completed building projects to date.

 

About Swinerton Incorporated. The Swinerton Family of Companies provides commercial construction services throughout the Western United States, delivering innovative construction solutions and outstanding customer service to a diverse range of business clients that demand exacting performance.  Established in 1888, Swinerton formally incorporated in the State of California in 1908 and holds California Contractor License No. 92. Today, Swinerton offices are located throughout California, in Colorado, Hawaii, Texas, New Mexico and Washington.

 

About The Palmberg Group. The Palmberg Group is a building contractor operating nationwide in Finland. Palmberg's business areas include competitive tender contracting of both new and refurbishment work as well as private-sector housing, commercial and industrial developments.

The subsidiary Konte Oy operates as a building contractor in the Umeå region of Sweden, and three others manufacture readymix concrete and concrete products in Ostrobothnia and North Karelia.

The Palmberg Group consists of the parent company, Oy Alfred A. Palmberg Ab, and its ten regionally operating subsidiaries, each operating regionally under its own name.